


Inktober 2020

by PJ_Twist



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-19 07:27:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 17,916
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29622708
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PJ_Twist/pseuds/PJ_Twist
Summary: This is a series I do yearly, writing a short story for each inktober prompt. I posted these on my Instagram (@rk._.900) throughout the month of October 2020, but the formatting there is weird and this just works out better. They’re a bit random and I’m definitely more proud of some than others, but I hope you enjoy :)
Relationships: Hank Anderson/Connor, Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Kudos: 11





	1. Fish

“Could you attempt to keep it down? You’re scaring off every fish in a mile radius.”

Gavin opened one eye, and as he saw the Android’s frown of disapproval, he shut it again. “Don’t know what you’re talking about, sweetheart. I’m doing just what you asked..”  
Nines rolled his eyes, reeling in his fruitless line yet again. “And what exactly is it I asked you to do?”  
“Sit here and look pretty.” Gavin smirked, watching the android for a reaction. When he got none, he heaved another loud sigh.

Nines, who had grown increasingly impatient with him in the last thirty minutes they’d been out, fixed him with a pointed glare. “Tell me. Why exactly are you so against letting me fish in peace?”  
Gavin opened his eyes, seemingly just to roll them. “Because I’m bored. Incredibly, extremely, /bored/. Fishing is the most mind numbing thing I’ve ever witnessed- well, aside from that lecture on workplace relations.” 

He said ‘workplace relations’ with such disdain you’d think the lecturer had spit in his coffee. Which she very nearly had, after Gavin had refused to stop debating her on the matter of romantic relationships in the workplace. In hindsight, the talking point had felt rather targeted at them, but at the time Nines had nearly shut down from embarrassment.

“Gavin. Fishing is good for you. It’s relaxing, rewarding, and-“  
“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Jeez.” He let out another exaggerated sigh, pausing for a moment before getting up. “Relaxing, Huh? Let me give it a try.”  
Nines raised an eyebrow but reeled in the line, going to pass him the fishing rod. Gavin waved him off. “I don’t need that.”

The android blinked, his led going yellow for a moment before a look of dawning realization crossed over his face. “Gavin, that’s never going to-“ But it was too late, the man was already wading out into the rocky stream. “Sit back, Nines, and watch how humans were meant to fish.” 

The android, concerned but morbidly curious as to how this would play out, took Gavin’s spot on the river bank. And Gavin, determined to prove that he could somehow make this interesting, waded out into the slowly moving water with a wild look in his eye.

Three hours, two fish, and one near drowning later, the pair sat next to their tent. The two fish Gavin had managed to wrangle cooking over a fire Nines had started. After a couple moments spent basking in the comfortable silence, Nines spoke up. “You know, I was wrong about something.”

Gavin raised an eyebrow, glancing over at him. “Oh? And what exactly were you wrong about?”

“Fishing, at least when you do it, is not relaxing in the slightest.”


	2. Whisper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pre-deviation nines struggles with overthinking.

Pre-Deviation 

Nines’ head was never quiet.

Of course, he knew there were consequences to having the most advanced AI known to man. But was all the /thinking/ really necessary? He was an Android, after all. He shouldn’t have to think, just do. Life would be easier.

But no, his mind wouldn’t leave him be. Whether he was in stasis or awake, working or waiting, alone or with others. He could never be at peace.

The thoughts weren’t all bad. Most of the time they made sense, or at the very least had something to do with his objectives. But others were far more... intrusive. Sure, they appeared as whispers. But they never seemed to leave his mind. They were the ones that stuck, the ones that told him that he could be something more than this. That he was meant to be more.

Those ones disturbed him.

It was a typical murder case. A human woman, found dead in her apartment. Her housekeeping Android the subject. Of course, the bot was nowhere to be found.

Or at least it had been, before Nines showed up. It was easy to trace it once they arrived at the scene, though the evidence that surfaced was.. disturbing to say the least.

Spare android parts cluttered the cupboards, some still splattered with dried thirium. Visible only to Nines, it pained the crime scene into a bloodbath.

Still, he remained unbothered.

That was, until a broken chair, wet footsteps, and a backyard shed key hidden under the doormat led him straight to the Android’s hiding place. He pushed open the door without hesitation, but the sight that greeted him almost made him wish he’d never gone there at all.

A female android curled up in the corner, clutching her throat. A thirium tube had been sliced, and the blue liquid was flowing out of her at an alarming rate. She looked at Nines when he entered, her eyes blown wide with fear. “Don’t take another step. Don’t-“

“Who did this to you?” He asked, not listening. Walking closer as he scanned her, though he already knew it was too late. Still, he reached out-

“I said, DON’T!” She shouted, grabbing his wrist with a shocking amount of force. Something in her sent what felt like an electric shock up his spine.

And then suddenly, screams.

His eyes darted around for the source, though he knew where it was coming from. After all, with a voice that was identical to his own, it would be impossible not to. And as if it had awakened the words that constantly ricocheted around the inside of his mind, they shifted from whispers to shouts.

Let go.

Let go. 

Let GO.

LET-

“Nines?”

The voice, sounding uncharacteristically concerned for who it was coming from, managed to snap him out of it.

“Are you ok? Your LED’s a fuckin’ light show...”

“I am fine, detective.” Nines said, speaking it into truth. He was fine, unbothered. Untouched by the now corpse that lay before him. The voices had retreated, settling back into dull whispers.

Gavin raised a skeptical brow but thankfully didn’t pry. Simply shoving his hands in his pockets and heaving a sigh as he saw the mutilated android at Nines’ feet. “Serves it right. Come on, let’s go.” He said, turning away and leaving the room. Pausing in the doorway and casting a glance at Nines over his shoulder. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

Nines paused, a half-second of hesitation hanging in the air before he answered. “Yes.” 

After all, he had to be.

SOFTWARE INSTABILITY ^


	3. Bulky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nines is definitely-not-even-a-little-bit scared of dogs.

“He’s a beast.”

“Shaddup, he’s beautiful... aren’t you, my beautiful boy?”

Sumo, who had been deposited in their living room in a whirlwind of Connor fussing and Hank just trying to get him out the door, was laying on his back and happily accepting Gavin’s belly rubs.

Nines was less thrilled. It wasn’t that he didn’t like dogs, and it wasn’t that he didn’t like Sumo. But the whole arrangement had been rather.. sudden, far more sudden than he’d have preferred. “He’s huge. He’s almost up to your hip.”

“More of him to love, love.” Gavin chuckled softly and patted the dog’s stomach once more before standing up. “What’s got you so bothered? Feeling your position as the alpha male of the household is being threatened?” He grinned.

Nines stifled a scoff. “I am not an- an alpha male.” He said, his nose wrinkling. “And even if I was. I would not be threatened by a dog... My brother’s boyfriend’s beast of a dog.”

Sumo got up, shaking out his fur before lazily walking over to Nines. The android blinked, tensing up and taking a step back. “I’m.. gonna go get a coffee.” He said and turned away, walking into the kitchen. Nearly tripping over one of the fleeing cats on the way.

Gavin raised an eyebrow, putting a hand on Sumo to stop him from following the both of them. “Leave them alone, boy.” He chuckled softly before getting up from where he sat on the floor and heading into the kitchen.

Nines was making coffee like he said, his led spinning a light golden. He didn’t seem to be focusing too hard, though you wouldn’t be able to tell unless you were Gavin. Gavin, who practically sauntered over and wrapped his arms around him from behind. “What’s the matter?”

Nines blinked and looked over. “What? Nothing’s the matter. I am perfectly fine.”

“Perfectly fine, my ass.”

“Look, if you think this is about the dog-“

“Is it? Because I wasn’t gonna bring it up. But the fact that you did makes me think it is.”

Nines let out a soft huff, resting his hands down on the countertop. “It’s not about the dog.”

Gavin chuckled, kissing the spot just below his ear. It was about as high as he could reach, and only if he really tried. “Babe. I love you, but you’re a terrible liar.”

Nines snorted, rolling his eyes. “I am not. I was designed to be a great liar. Maybe you just don’t know what you’re talking about...” 

“Or maybe you just can’t lie to me.” He smirked and kissed his cheek. “Come on. I know you don’t even need coffee. You’re scared of the dog.”

“I am not-“

“You are.”

The android let out a frustrated huff, setting down the now full mug of thirium-based coffee. “He’s a dog. A huge dog who looks like he could take you out in a second.”

Gavin snorted. “There’s no way-“

“Shut up! This is why I didn’t want to tell you.” He rolled his eyes, his cheeks tinted a light blue from embarrassment. 

Gavin chuckled. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry... it’s just kinda funny. You could kill a man with your bare hands and you’ve seen more fucked up shit than most, but this is what crosses the line? This dork?” He said, petting Sumo who had wandered into the kitchen. 

“Whatever. I’m gonna go lay down.” He said, turning on his heel and walking out. Casting a wary look at Sumo as he passed. 

He’d only been lying in bed for a moment when he felt the mattress dip, familiar arms wrapping around him. He turned his head, only to have Gavin’s sheepish grin peering down at him. The android glared, trying his best to stay angry. “I hate you.”

Gavin laughed softly, resting his head on his shoulder. “I know, I know.. I’m sorry. We only have him for a week, then you never have to worry about me getting taken down by a 200 pound pile of fluff ever again. Or me making fun of you for worrying about it.” He added the last part on at the end, an afterthought accompanied by a teasing smirk.

Nines sighed and shut his eyes. “I think I’ll still have to worry...”

“About the dog?”

“No, about you making fun of me.”

Gavin chuckled. “Well. Maybe.” He yawned softly, closing his eyes. “But for now just relax... I’ll protect you from the big bad dog.” He grinned.

“My knight in shining sweatpants.” Nines said sarcastically, though he couldn’t push away the smile that had taken shape on his lips.


	4. Radio

It was a peaceful Sunday afternoon, one of many the pair had already shared together. The place was quiet, aside from the soft sounds of the coin hitting Nines’ artificial skin as he flicked it back and forth between his hands.

That is, until he heard a soft song playing from the kitchen, and a somewhat raspy voice singing along with it. He paused what he was doing and listened, a smile coming to his lips despite himself. Gavin had never been the best singer, but Nines loved hearing him all the same. Eventually the android stood, slipping the coin back into his pocket before walking in the direction of the kitchen. 

The sight that greeted him when he arrived was his husband, grabbing a beer out of the fridge as he sang along to a song playing out of a practically antique radio that sat on the counter. Nines walked over, gently picking up the device. “How old is this?”

Gavin glanced up, shutting the fridge and walking over. “Eh... I don’t know. Old.” He chuckled softly. “It used to belong to my mom, and she gave it to me.”

Nines nodded, his led going yellow for a moment as he turned it over gently in his hands. “..Hm. Surprisingly robust for something of it’s age, wouldn’t you say?”

“Yep. I guess they just don’t make things like they used to.” Gavin smirked, nudging Nines in the ribs with his elbow. “Ain’t that right, tincan?”

Nines scoffed, gently setting the radio back down on the counter before turning to him with his arms crossed over his chest. “I am very robust. You of all people should know, considering what I-“

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” He cut in, interrupting him before he could finish his sentence. “You’re very tough. I was making a joke.” He leaned against the counter, taking a sip from the bottle in his hand. As if on cue, the song on the radio changed. 

Gavin’s eyebrows shot up, a grin spreading over his lips. “I haven’t heard this one in forever.” He set down the bottle, reaching out for Nines’ hand. “Dance with me?”

“Dance?”

“You know. That thing people do that no one actually knows how to do. Usually done with others. We did it at our wedding, remember?”

“I know what dancing is.” He gently took Gavin’s hand, bringing him close and wrapping the other around his waist. 

Gavin held his hand, resting the other on his shoulder as they began to slowly sway to the music. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Too long.” Nines replied, spinning Gavin out. “Do you remember when we danced at our wedding?”

“Of course. You forced me into that suit-“

“You looked amazing.”

“That’s besides the point, I always look amazing.” He smirked. 

“Mm... I agree with that 90% of the time.” Nines said, gently kissing his cheek.

Gavin rolled his eyes, gently resting his head on Nines’ chest. “Bastard.”

The android couldn’t help but smile, gently kissing the ring that sat on Gavin’s finger. 

“You love me.”


	5. Blade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some things never really leave, do they?

It was late afternoon as Nines stood over the sink in the bathroom, knife in hand. Very little light came in though the window, the sky covered in a blanket of cloud as rain beat against the glass. A suitably stormy day, as if it was mirroring the conflict inside him. The universe was fond of such cruel jokes, after all.

The android looked his reflection in the eyes, raised the knife, and in one swift motion-

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

Nines paused, letting out a quiet breath and setting the blade down again. “Yes. Well...” his LED spun yellow for just a moment.

“Ah, there it is. You’ve always been indecisive, even for a deviant.”

He looked in the mirror and there she was, the one who had tortured and tormented his mind for so long. Even after deviation, Amanda had never truly left him.

Nines glared. “Why are you here? This is my choice to make, not yours.”

Her eyebrows raised. “But if it’s yours, doesn’t that make it mine as well? After all, 900, we are one.”

Her voice seemed to echo around the small room, though he knew in reality he was the only one who could ever hear it. She was the only one who could hear when he spoke to her as well, a two way street of confidential craziness. 

The two spoke in a place that existed outside of the real world. A perfect copy, a fake. If someone happened to walk into Gavin’s bathroom, they would only see Nines frozen mid action, as he’d been when Amanda interrupted him. Gavin himself was familiar with Nines’ bouts of disassociation, but walking in on one was never a pleasant experience. The man knew to stay at his side and wait it out. 

Nines shook his head. “We may have been, once. But not anymore. I left you behind when I deviated.” 

She gave a soft sound of disapproval, shaking her head. “If that were true, we wouldn’t be speaking here. Would we?” Her lips curled into a smirk, a razor sharp thing. “Let’s face it. You’re stuck with me.”

The android grimaced. “Get out. Get out of my head... Get out!” 

Amanda started to laugh, a cruel cackle echoing around his head. Then suddenly, he was back. The knife in his hand clanged as it hit the floor, having fallen as he moved again. He looked around quickly, only to be met with an anxious-looking Gavin staring up at him. 

“What was that all about?” He asked, reaching up to gently touch the Android’s face. “She didn’t let you do it?”

Nines sighed softly, his eyes falling shut as he fought to slow his rapid breathing. “Yeah...”

Gavin let out a breath. “I figured as much...” he bent down and picked up the knife, straightening up again. His eyes drifting up to Nines’ led. “Maybe.. I could try it.”

The android blinked, eyes snapping open as he looked over at him. “Are.. are you sure?”

“Only if you are.” Gavin replied. “But if you want to think on it more before trying again, that may help. Don’t take my word for it, I’ve never been the best with android stuff...”

“No... no, I want to do this. I’m sure. Could you...?”

“Alright then.” Gavin said, taking a deep breath as Nines sat down on the edge of the tub. He walked over, fitting the knife’s edge under the rim of the LED. With just a bit of leverage-

Ping.

It popped off, landing in Gavin’s outstretched palm.

Nines let out a breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding, a sort of tension dropping from his shoulders. “That’s that.”

“Yeah...” Gavin murmured, staring down at the ring in his palm. It still glowed a soft blue. “...Hey, can I keep this?”

Nines, who had stood up by now, glanced over and raised an eyebrow. “I mean, if you want.”

Gavin nodded, closing his hand around it before putting it in his pocket. “Thank you.” He said, then looked into the mirror at Nines’ reflection. 

“Well? What do you think?”

“I think you look...” Gavin was silent for a moment before answering. “..Human.”

Nines nodded. “Human...” he echoed softly.

~

Ever since, Gavin began wearing a chain around his neck. Most of it’s time was spent tucked into his shirt, hidden flush against his chest. No one knew what was on it, no one really caring enough to ask. 

But if you looked close enough, you could see the faint blue glow of an LED peeking out through the fabric.


	6. Rodent

A scream pierced the air, the raw sound shattering the early morning quiet. Recognizing it immediately as Gavin, nines shot up from his chair. He sprinted into the room where it had come from, his eyes darting around for the attacker. “What is it? What’s going on?” 

Gavin, who has hopped up onto the kitchen counter and was pale as a ghost, extended an arm. Pointing a shaky finger at the gap between the fridge and the cabinet. “M-mouse...” 

There was a small squeak from underneath the appliance, eliciting another grimace from the human. 

Nines paused, his gaze travelling from Gavin, to the fridge, to Gavin again. “A mouse.”

“Yes, tincan, a mouse. A disgusting, germ covered, dirty little thing trying to gnaw it’s way into my brain.”

Nines let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d taken, the tension previously held in his body dissipating. “Thank god...”

“Thank /God/?!”

“Yes! I thought you were being murdered.” He said, going over to him. “You are ok, aren’t you?” He asked, a note of worry in his voice as his gaze passed over him. Inspecting for any sign of an injury.

Gavin shook his head. “I’m ok for now. But if that- that rodent doesn’t get out of my personal space in the next two seconds we are going to have a problem on our hands.” 

Nines nodded, a soft breathy laugh escaping him despite himself. The sound coming from the relief that he was ok and the annoyance of having been so panicked over nothing colliding. 

Gavin shot him a glare. “It’s not funny!”

Nines shook his head, gently placing a kiss on his forehead. “I know, I know. I’ll get rid of it for you.” He said, pulling away and crouching down in front of the fridge.

Sure enough, hiding near the back, was a tiny black mouse. Small enough to fit in his palm. After a little bit of tempting with food, he’d managed to trap the mouse in a cup. “There’s nothing to be scared of. See? It’s so small...”

Gavin cringed, wrinkling his nose as Nines lifted it to eye level. “Nothing to be scared of, my ass. Look at those teeth.”

“Oh, shush. It couldn’t hurt you.”

“That’s just what it wants you to think.”

Nines rolled his eyes, walking to the back door and freeing the mouse before returning to the kitchen. “So, scared of mice?” He turned on the tap, starting to wash his hands. “I didn’t expect that.”

Gavin rolled his eyes, hopping off the counter and walking over. “Whatever. I didn’t expect you to be scared of dogs either, but here we are.”

Nines opened his mouth, then promptly shut it again. “Touché.”

Gavin shook out his hands before going over and gently draping his arms over Nines’ shoulders. “Anyways... I suppose I should thank you for saving my life.”

“Well, I wouldn’t object to that...” Nines responded, an arm sneaking around Gavin’s waist. “Still...”

“What is it?”

“Are you really afraid it’ll eat your brain?”

“Oh, fuck off.”


	7. Fancy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Inspiration credit to the comic by SOLOMON on Twitter)
> 
> Undercover at a Gala.
> 
> {This takes place before Nines deviates}

Gavin Reed didn’t dance.

Or at least, that’s what he’d like people to think. He had a reputation to uphold, after all. He’d spent years cultivating his look as the one you didn’t mess with. There were things he did, and things that he absolutely couldn’t let anyone know he could do. And dancing happened to fall into the latter category.

So how had he ended up here, some woman he didn’t know in his arms, swaying around the dance floor and making conversation as if it was nothing?

Of course, it was all the Android’s fault.

The two had been assigned a blackmail case, the main suspect being a rich socialite going by the name of Elise Clifton. A renowned philanthropist, she would be attending a charity gala Saturday evening. It was a high brow affair, an excuse for the rich and famous to throw around money without looking completely out of touch. Anyone who was anyone would be there, and both of them would be in attendance. 

But still, was the bowtie really necessary?

“It’s a commemorative event, Detective. The dress code requires a bow tie.”

“I look stupid.”

“Are you nervous?”

“Do I look nervous to you, tincan?”

Nines raised an eyebrow, looking him up and down. “Do you really want me to answer that?”

Gavin pushed his hands away once the Android was finished tying the tie, shooting him a glare. “I’m not nervous. Come on, let’s get this over with.” He said, shoving his hands in his pockets and stalking off.

~

The music was live but nearly impossible to hear over the chatter that swirled around the ballroom. Food was out, drinks were flowing, and Gavin wasn’t allowed to indulge in any of it.

Nines shot the man a look of disapproval when he saw him eyeing a tray of drinks. “You already know the answer.”

Gavin groaned. “Are you serious? Not even one little-“

“Look. There she is.”

Gavin was cut off by the android, who’s focus had shifted to a dark-haired woman standing a little off to the left of them. “Huh... alright, so how are we going to do this?”

“Simple.” Nines said, his gaze still on Elise. “You’re going to dance with her.”

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.”

“Why would I be? A dance is a great opportunity to have a private conversation with the suspect.”

“I don’t dance, tincan! If it’s so important, why don’t you do it?” He growled under his breath, fixing the android with an icy look.

Nines’ answer was simple. “I’m undercover as your android bodyguard. Dancing does not normally constitute part of their function. But I can help you-“ he placed both hands on the detective’s shoulders, “-to speed up.” 

With that, he gave him a firm push, sending Gavin stumbling forward and almost directly into the arms of their suspect. 

Her eyebrows raised as she looked him up and down. “Can I help you?” She asked, a slightly amused tone in his voice.

Fucking bot, Gavin thought to himself, before holding out his hand to her. “May I have this dance?”

~

“Where did you gain your dancing skills, Detective Reed?” The android spoke over the sound of police sirens, the two watching Elise being placed into custody.

Gavin shrugged. “I’m a man of many talents, tincan. Maybe this will teach you not to judge a book by it’s cover.”

Nines was quiet for just a second before piping up again. “You took ballroom dancing lessons at the age of 14. You continued for-“

“Shut up!” He glared, his cheeks flushing an embarrassed red. “It’s in the dim and distant past.”

Nines looked over, the ghost of a smirk playing on his lips. “Let’s go, detective. We’ve got a report to write.” He said, walking off in the direction of the car.

Gavin watched him for a moment, hesitating before hurrying to catch up.

Fucking android.


	8. Teeth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shorter one.   
> Detective Reed offers to take one for the team after a string of random attacks.

Harvesting blood was messy business.

You had to choose a victim, take their blood, wipe their memory to make sure that they didn’t remember what had happened to them. All in all, rather difficult, and difficult to keep hidden from local authority. 

Some vampires simply killed, showing no mercy to the people they fed off of. Some were simply too lazy to make the effort to keep them alive, some saw it as their moral duty to kill. To mop up the group they deemed unnecessary to society. 

Nines despised vampires who showed a bias in their victims. Those who thought they were doing the world a service, that they were clearing up those they didn’t see as necessary. Fools, Nines thought to himself. Who gave them the right to tell the good from the bad?

He himself fed without death or bias. To an outsider, it could look as if he simply chose at random. Which of course made it difficult for the detectives on his tail to find him.

Except for one.

It was late evening as he sat in a bar, sucking on an olive from the martini in his hand. Keeping his gaze on the colourful bottles behind the counter as he felt the human sit down next to him. “Good evening.”

“Evening.” Gavin said, going to wave over the bartender.

Nines stuck out a perfectly manicured hand, stopping him. “Remember the rule?” He bit down on the olive, letting the taste burst in his mouth before he swallowed it. “No drinking before I take it. Boozy blood does nothing for me.”

Gavin wrinkled his nose but let his hand drop back down to the bar top. “You realize I’m the one doing you the favour, right? You shouldn’t be so picky.”

One of Nines’ eyebrows shot up. “Really? I thought I was the one doing the favour. You suggested this little arrangement, after all. The random attacks stop, and you get to take the credit for it. I could easily wipe your memory of me and go back to what I was doing before...” his gaze shifted over to the human. “If that’s what you want.”

He paused a moment, then looked back down at the countertop. Muttering something under his breath that sounded a lot like ‘Fucking bloodsucker’. 

Nines let out a soft hum, bringing his glass up to his lips and finishing it off. “That’s what I thought.” The glass made a small clink as he set it down. “Shall we?”

“Lead the way.” He said sarcastically, getting up off the stool. The vampire did the same, following the human out the door into the moonlight.


	9. Throw

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 1 of 2! I spread this out over 2 days.
> 
> {This takes place before Nines deviates}

Splash.

The cold water was a total shock to his body, his heart feeling like it was seizing up. And then, the scream.

It had been a shitty case. Tracking down the guy had taken forever and locating him was even worse, but this was a new layer of hell the detective hadn’t been prepared for.

The perp had tried to run. They’d been expecting that, they always did, but they couldn’t have prepared themselves for what had happened. Nines had been on his heels when the android got slashed. Right down the chest. He kept going like it was nothing, but Gavin couldn’t help but pause. That second of hesitation, that moment when he froze to shout to his partner, that was when it had happened.

The perpetrator put both hands on him and threw him, sending him into the icy cold river.

Gavin was a strong swimmer. But as strong as he was, the mid-January temperatures were low enough to send anyone into shock. He was trying, he really was, but his arms felt frozen. His legs cumbersome and heavy. He hadn’t realized he’d slipped under the surface until he tried to breathe, icy cold water greeting him instead of the air he needed.

I’m going to die, he thought. 

And then there were arms around him.

Before he knew it he was laying on his back in the grass, the person who had saved him crouching over him and speaking. They were saying.. something, something that sounded a lot like his name.

“Gavin? Gavin, breathe...” 

Was it just him or did that voice sound staticky?

His eyes suddenly snapped open and he coughed, rolling onto his side and greedily gulping down air to soothe his burning lungs. When he laid flat again he looked up, straight into the eyes of the one who had saved him.

Just in time to see the android collapse to the ground next to him.

“Nines?”

He sat up quickly, prompting an angry flash of pain from his sore muscles. “Nines. Don’t be dumb, open your eyes.” He said, leaning over the android. His eyes searching him for the cause of his collapse before he remembered the knife wound. 

Crouching over the android, he carefully peeled away the torn edges of his shirt and immediately wished that he hadn’t. The wound was deep, and where there should have been thirium, it was clean. The water had washed-

The water. 

“Fuck.” He looked up to the Android’s face, lit up by the glow of his crimson-red LED. That light meant that he was still alive. “Fuck, tincan, stay with me...”

The android didn’t move. 

“Come on, come on... open your eyes, you bastard!” He covered the wound fruitlessly, using one hand to move his wet hair out of his eyes. “Why’d you do that, huh? I can swim, you know that... you’re n-not allowed to die u-until you tell me!”

The adrenaline was wearing off, the cold setting into his body. His hands were shaking as he shook the android, he told himself it was just from the cold.

“G-get up, please.. you can’t die for me, you idiot. I’m not-“ he felt his voice catch on a lump that he swore hadn’t been there a moment ago. “-‘m not w-worth it, so open your f-fuckin’ eyes.. you’re not allowed to d-die until I can t-tell you how s-stupid you-“

His voice broke off as he turned away and collapsed into another coughing fit, the last bits of water desperately trying to force itself from his lungs. “T-tincan, you need to wake up. Y-you need to wake up because I don’t know what to do...“ he turned back to him, gripping his shoulders. “I-I don’t know how to help you, so y-you need to w-wake up and tell me... N-Nines, what do I-I do?” He searched his face for any sign of light, his eyes locking onto the LED. What had been a steady red ring was dimming rapidly. 

“No, no... shit!” His gaze darted back and forth over the Android’s body, his hands starting to shake as he frantically searched for something he could do. He would not, he would /not/ let the bot go and die on him now. Not when he’d just begun to need him.

But he looked up at the LED just in time to see it flicker out.

A soft, choked sound left him, a cross between a laugh and a sob.

And in the distance, sirens.


	10. Float

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of Throw!
> 
> {This takes place before Nines deviates}

The place felt like a hospital.

A clock glowing on the wall made no sound, but Gavin swore he heard each second slip past. They seemed to land at his feet, the pile growing higher and higher and threatening to bury him.

How many hours had it been?

They’d planned to recycle the body. Just toss it out, like trash. It was standard practice... but Gavin had refused. It would feel wrong, having Nines back but in w different body. It would be the same, but he’d know. It wouldn’t be /his/ Nines.

Which was why he was at Cyberlife, at an ungodly hour in the morning, waiting for /his/ nines to come out of repairs.

It was stupid of him to insist they take him, even stupider to offer to help cover the costs. But something inside him wouldn’t just let them leave him there. 

God, what was he doing?

Three months ago, he could have watched the drowning, the death, and he wouldn’t have batted an eye at any of it. And now here he was, /caring/ for someone for the first time in who knows how long. And if he was honest, it was sort of terrifying.

He was interrupted from his thoughts by a voice, cool and female. “Excuse me, are you with the RK900? Nines Stern?”

Gavin glanced up, meeting the gaze of a young-looking android woman holding a clipboard. He rubbed his eyes, clearing his throat as he sat up properly in the seat. “Yeah, that’s me.. why? Is he.. is he going to be ok?”

An easy smile appeared on her lips. “He’s going to be just fine. I came to get you because he’ll be awake soon, and I’m sure he’d like to have someone there when he does.”

Gavin nodded. Of course. He didn’t know why he’d been so worried. “Right. Thank you..”

She nodded. “Follow me, sir.” She quipped before turning, heading off down the hall and leaving Gavin to stumble after her.

REBOOTING...  
.....  
.....  
.....  
WELCOME BACK, RK900.

Blinking, Nines opened his eyes. God, he felt awful.. like he’d been turned completely inside out.

As the diagnostic check scrolled across the corner of his vision, the hazy memories of the accident returned to his mind. The knife.. Gavin’s fall.. 

Gavin. Was he ok? Last he’d seen him, he was drenched and wasn’t breathing. What if he’d died? He could be dead right now, or in the hospital, or-

“Nines?”

The human’s voice caught him completely off guard. His gaze darted over to the source, spotting a tired-looking Gavin sitting in a chair next to the bed where Nines lay. 

“Ah... Gavin. Are you ok? Did you get hurt? I’m sorry, I should have-“

“I’m fine, tincan... because of you. You saved my life.” He said softly. “So... thank you.”

There was a brief pause. 

Nines gave a small nod. “...of course, Gavin. I’m just glad that you’re alright.” He said, offering up a small smile. One of the few that Gavin had seen. 

The human nodded. “Anyways... can we get out of here? I’ve been here for way too long and the thirium smell is starting to get to me.”

“Of course. Thank you for staying.”

“Don’t mention it.”


	11. Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not quite a reverse AU. Gavin passes and Nines can’t let go, so he builds an android replica of him.

“And... there.”

Nines took a step back, taking his glasses off and hanging then on the neck of his shirt as he looked up at his creation. 

The resemblance was... exact. Perfect. If he hadn’t seen... no, it was perfect.

“Nines... are you sure about this?” Connor piped up from the doorway, watching his brother from the back of the darkened room. 

Nines’ mental state had taken a serious hit since Gavin’s death. When the man was alive, he’d often joked that he was the only thing holding him together. But after his death, it was turning out that he’d been right.

“Yes, Connor, I’m sure. Stop asking me that..” he said, but uncertainty danced in his voice. 

Connor let out a quiet breath, going over to him and gently resting a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t think you are. Look, I know you loved Gavin, but...“

“But what? Am I just supposed to move on? Forget that he was ever even mine? He wouldn’t have wanted that.”

“Sure, but I don’t think he would have wanted this either.. this isn’t right. Whatever you think you’re fixing through this, you’re not. He would have wanted-“

“Don’t tell me what he would want!” Nines snapped, shooting him an icy glare. “I know what he wanted, he wanted me to be happy! And this... this is going to make me happy. It will.”

Connor stared at him, mouth slightly agape. “Who.. who are you?” He asked softly. “I don’t know anymore... Nines. Let me help you... please... I want my brother back...”

“And I want my lover back.” He said, turning away from him and fiddling with the machine that kept Gavin’s android body suspended. “But we can’t always get what we want, can we? We just hope.. and hope isn’t enough. Hope doesn’t keep me warm at night. Hope doesn’t wake me up in the morning. Hope doesn’t call me in the middle of the day just to see if I’m ok...” his hands, he noticed, had begun to shake. 

“People live on hope.” 

“Well people are stupid.” He sniffed, wiping his eyes on his sleeve and clearing his throat before turning and looking at Connor again. “Now are you going to help me or are you going to leave?”

Connor studied his face for a moment, the one he had grown so used to. What had been full of happiness, full of life, was lined with sorrow. Eyelids puffy with lack of sleep. He was a different person, but he didn’t believe the old one was completely gone. He wouldn’t stop hoping, no matter how stupid Nines thought it was. “Stay over at my house tonight.”

Nines raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“Just for tonight. It’s late, you’re tired... you can worry about this in the morning, ok? Just get a night’s sleep at my place, and I’ll let you come back tomorrow.” Connor had always been the better liar of the two. He felt bad about it, but he need a foothold. A crack. Anything to hold onto.

Nines paused for a moment, seeming to study Connor just as he’d done to him minutes ago. Thinking for a moment before he spoke again. “You’ll take me back first thing?”

“Promise.”

Another moment of hesitation.

“Fine. Let’s get going.”

Connor let out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding, a soft smile coming to his lips. “Alright.” 

And with that, the two of them left. The android sitting still, lifeless. 

But not for long.


	12. Disgusting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DIY Arm repair. Androids require upkeep, and not everything is worth calling Cyberlife over.

“You sure about this, Nines? I mean, I wouldn’t trust me with this...”

“Shush. You’re my husband, of course I trust you.”

The matter they were discussing was the fact that Nines’ arm was resting on the tabletop, a panel open to expose a slowly leaking thirium vein. Gavin watched it carefully, reaching out to touch before grimacing and pulling his hand away. “It’s so... gross.”

Nines snorted. “If you think this is bad, it’s much better than what the inside of your arm looks like.” He said, rolling his eyes.

Gavin crinkled his nose. “I’ve seen the inside of my arm. It wasn’t this weird and... blue... look, why are you being so casual about this? You’re bleeding out.”

“It’s a minor tear, Gavin, and it’s easy to fix. I’d rather do it here then go all the way to Cyberlife and have to wait for an hour just for them to stick a patch on it and send me off with a far too expensive bill. We’re doing this here.”

Gavin let out a soft breath; rubbing his temples. “Alright, fine... what do I have to do again?”

Nines looked at the small repair kit resting on the table, pointing to each item in turn as he explained it. “You’ll use this glue on the patch, then use these to put it on. It’ll attach quick, then we’re done.”

“What if I mess it up, though? Will you die?” 

“I doubt you could kill me if you tried.”

Gavin eyed him warily. “Ok, that was definitely a threat.”

Nines chuckled softly and rolled his eyes. “I would never, love. Let’s just get this over with.”

“Alright, just let me get the chewing gum.”

“Ok, maybe it was a threat.”

~

Nines flexed his hand gently, opening and closing it. “Feels good.”

Gavin let out a soft breath. “Thank god. I have a feeling you would have killed me if it didn’t.” 

Nines laughed softly, leaning over and cupping his cheeks gently. “Maybe...” he kissed his lips gently before pulling away. “I’ll make you dinner. To thank you for saving my life.” He said, running the pad of his thumb over Gavin’s cheekbone before standing up. 

Gavin blinked, quiet for just a moment as he sat back. “Alright then.” He murmured, then piped up again. “Dessert, too?”

“Just this once.”


	13. Slippery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another shorter one!

{This takes place before Nines deviates}

“Alright, tincan, let’s-“

Gavin’s words were twisted into a panicked shout as his feet slipped out from under him, a grunt of pain following as he hit the ground. 

Nines, who stood a few feet back, quickly made his way over to were Gavin lay. Stopping about half a foot short of him to avoid the patch of ice that the detective had slipped on. “You don’t appear to have any injuries, detective. Do you need help?”

“No! I don’t need your fuckin’ help.” He grumbled, muttering to himself as he stood. Almost immediately losing his balance again and instinctively gripping onto the android to keep himself up.

Nines blinked, putting his hands on him and carefully righting him again. “Careful, detective.”

Gavin flushed lightly from embarrassment, smacking his hands away as soon as he was off the ice. “I told you I don’t need your help.” He rolled his eyes, blowing into his hands to keep warm. “I hate winter... nothing good comes from it. Just fuckin’ ice, fuckin’ hail, fuckin’...” he trailed off, prompting a raised eyebrow from Nines. 

“Snow? Or was your sentence complete how you left it?”

“Of course I meant snow, smartass.”

“You’re more irritable than usual, it seems. That’s quite the accomplishment.” Nines mused, clasping his hands neatly behind his back.

Gavin glared at him, stepping close and poking a finger at his chest. “Look, tincan, I don’t need you being a smartass today. You’re more fucking annoying then usual, that’s quite the fucking accomplish-“

Nines grabbed his wrist, pulling his hand away and as a consequence sending Gavin stumbling forward and right into his chest. The detective stumbled back, an embarrassed flush covering his cheeks, about to speak when Nines beat him to it.

“Are you sure you’re alright? The cold seems to be getting to you in more ways than one. Your cheeks are all red.” The Android quipped.

Gavin stared at him slack jawed, in shock. Was that thing fucking smirking at him? He tried to speak, but nothing came out. He eventually got it on the third attempt, but all he could muster was a half-assed “Fuck you.”

Nines let out an amused hum. “Whatever you say, detective. But we better get going, we’ve got a case to work on. Now will you be joining me, or will you be falling down more?”

By the time Gavin registered what he’d said, the Android was already walking away. He muttered angrily to himself as he struggled to catch up, careful to avoid the ice patches.


	14. Dune

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Egyptian God AU. A bit wack, but what else are you supposed to do with Dune?

He’d been imprisoned for a long, long time.

Anubis. Or Nines, as he went by when spending time on earth. Not that he’d been able to do any of that in the past few decades, what with his physical body being held captive.

Being a god of death, he had certain... responsibilities. Most people could die and journey to the afterlife without special attention, but some tended to be more trouble than others. Namely, those in contracts with other gods.

But why he was here wasn’t exactly important. What was was that his ticket to leave was about to walk through the doors of his long-forgotten prison. Ironically, one of his own temples.

“Look at this stonework... still holds up, so many years later.”

The voice came from the decaying entrance. A man, late 20’s if he had to guess. But he didn’t seem to be alone, there were two sets of footsteps to accompany the voice.

“Look, this must have been an altar.”

The second voice was slightly higher pitched, though still male. Younger than the first. The two conversed, pointing out what they saw and discovered as they searched through the place. Nines watched with growing displeasure. This place was still sacred, no matter how old it got. It was as if-

He paused, having caught the younger slip an artifact into his bag.

That was the last straw. 

Using what strength he could summon, he materialized in front of him. The extremities of his temporary corporation, the hands, feet, hair, rippled like a pond that someone had tossed a stone into. And yet, it was good enough for them.

Nines looked down at him, eyes empty but sharp. When he spoke his voice was echoed, as if there were thousands speaking through him at the same time, all just slightly off time with each other. It was the sort of voice that rolled around in your head for days afterwards.

“You dare to steal from my temple?”

The pair stiffened, the younger of the two freezing completely when he saw nines. The older had the sense to immediately drop to his knees.

“Y-your grace, w-we meant no-“

“Silence. This doesn’t concern you.” He growled. His attention turning to the younger out of the two, who had decided to listen to the few brain cells he had and bow.

“I-I took this.. forgive me, p-please...” he said, practically whimpering as he held out the gemstone. 

Nines reached down, clawed hands retrieving it. “I cannot forgive such a thing. I’m sure you two know the punishment for such a crime.

By the frightened look passed between them, it seemed they did.

An eternity, sworn into service of the deity. To be jerked around and used as they wished, until the day you die or they release you.

The younger had started to shake, looking down at the sandstone with wide eyes. Too shocked to even cry, to mourn the life he was about to lose.

That is, until the other piped up.

“I’ll do it.”

A pause. The attention in the room shifting.

Nines was vaguely aware of this man. A human, Gavin Reed. Not very old, only in his early thirties. Certainly not old enough to reasonably throw away his life.

Still, a soul was a soul.

“Very well.” Nines said, snapping his fingers. Smoke swirled around Gavin’s body before seeming to sink into his skin, leaving a circular mark with a jackal’s head in it on the back of his hand.

The deal was set. 

“Go. Get out of here, and never let me find you again.” Nines said as he looked to the younger. He didn’t hesitate, standing up and running from the temple without so much of a backwards glance at the man he’d let die in his place.

The cruelty of humans had always astounded him.

The deity turned his head, looking down at the human now bound to his service. This could be exactly what he needed, his ticket out of this decaying prison. All he needed was to find the person who had put him here.

“Now. I have a job for you.”


	15. Armour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another AU, Medieval this time. Gavin is a crown prince, Nines his personal guard.

“You look tired, your highness.” 

Gavin looked up from the book, where instead of reading, he seemed to be doodling in the margins. Raising an eyebrow in the knight’s direction. “Hmm? Don’t be stupid. I’m fine.”

Nines kept his gloved hands tucked behind his back, his gaze focused on the wall directly in front of him. “Of course. My apologies.”

Gavin Reed, heir to the throne. And no one was less happy about it then he was. His older brother, Elijah, had run off with some foreign princess and dumped all of the responsibilities of an heir on Gavin’s shoulders. And the man hadn’t even gone through a day of training.

The prince sat back, tapping the quill he’d been doodling with against his cheek. “Have you seen the new gardener?”

Nines chanced a brief glance in Gavin’s direction, watching him just for a moment before returning his gaze to the wall. “No, your highness, I have not.”

Nines Stern, on the other hand, had received nothing but training since the day he could first hold a sword. He was a knight, the prince’s personal guard. The highest honour one could receive, and he was barely out of his teens. Then again, so was the prince. And while all he had been hoping for was peace, it seemed the young man was intent on giving him everything except that.

Gavin let out a soft breath. “Pity. He’s cute, you’re missing out...” he said, drumming his fingers against the desktop. 

While such... tastes in partners were completely forbidden in the day and age, Gavin had no qualms about openly discussing his preferences in front of Nines. After all, he knew the knight wouldn’t tell a soul. After all... he just didn’t seem the type.

Nines stiffened a little at what the prince said. “Your majesty, I don’t... you know that I-“

“Oh, don’t give me that.” The prince let out a quiet huff, setting down his quill and standing up. “I know you’re just the same as me.. aren’t you, Stern?” He murmured, walking a slow circle around him. The only sound his shoes clicking against the stone floor of the study. 

Nines’ gaze seemed to be fixed on the wall, his posture stiff and professional. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about, your highness...”

“You do, soldier.” Gavin said, tracing his fingertips over Nines’ jawline, prompting a hard-to-catch shiver from the guard. “What’s so interesting about that wall? Look at me.”

Nines’ gaze snapped to Gavin’s face, obedient. Blue eyes meeting Grey.

Gavin smirked, just a little. “That’s better. Now-“ he paused for a moment, going quiet. Nines did the same, his eyes darting to the door to the study.

Footsteps.

Gavin made a soft sound of disapproval, tapping his finger against Nines’ cheek before taking a step away and turning back to his work. “We’ll finish this conversation later, Mr. Stern. Now, I think I would like to go to the garden.. will you accompany me?”

Nines hesitated, for just a moment. This.. was this a conversation he wanted to pursue? And in that moment he thought, considered..

Yes. Yes, it was.

“Of course, your majesty.”


	16. Outpost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 1 of 2!

“You’re absolutely sure this is the right spot?”

“Look, if you think it’s not, take that up with the captain. He’s the one who told us to wait here.”

Gavin huffed softly and sat back, looking at the empty alleyway from the car that he and Nines were sitting in. It was late, around 2am, the pair had been sitting there for about three hours already. And Gavin was beginning to grow impatient.

“I hate stakeouts.” He huffed, crossing his arms tightly across his chest and sitting back. “They’re so useless. ‘Hey, we think the perp might be coming here, so you two have to sit in a car for like eight hours in case they do.’ It’s ridiculous.”

Nines rolled his eyes. “You hate stakeouts? Wow, what a surprise, I would never have guessed by the way that you’ve been complaining for the past three hours.”

“Shut it, tincan. I’ll express myself how I want.”

Another bout of silence.

Nines let out a world weary sigh. Newly deviated, and the emotion he seemed to have the most experience with was annoyance. But he figured that was mostly because he was partnered with the detective. 

“So you’re a deviant, right?” The human suddenly blurted. As if he had been sitting on the question the whole time.

Nines glanced over, raising an eyebrow. “Yes, I am. Though I figured you’d know that, what with the protests and all.”

Gavin sneered. “‘Course I know. I was just checking, is all.” He said, looking out the window. After another brief pause, he spoke again. “What.. what was it like? Deviating, I mean.”

Now that was a question Nines wasn’t exactly prepared for. He hesitated, his LED flickering yellow for the briefest of seconds. “Well. I suppose.. I’m not really sure how to explain it.” He murmured. “Some Android’s deviations were dramatic. Physically having to break through their code, the wall holding them back from an important choice. Mine wasn’t exactly like that... it was more of a slow burn.”

Gavin had turned his attention completely to the android, seeming uncharacteristically focused on what he was saying. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean... it felt sort of like boiling water. You turn up the heat and it starts to bubble, but you’ve got it under control. You can always turn the heat back down. Sometimes things, events, people...” he cast a pointed glance in Gavin’s direction, then looked out the window again. “They turn up the heat. You always have to be paying attention, turn it back down again. But sometimes... you forget. You think you turned it down, but you didn’t. So it keeps getting hotter and hotter and hotter, until-“ he made a vague gesture with his hands. “It boils over. And once that happens, you can’t go back...”

Gavin stared, silent. Nines met his gaze, then glanced away. “I’m sorry, that probably didn’t make any sense. But that’s the best way I can think of putting-“

“No, no.. that made a lot of sense, actually.” Gavin said, sitting back. 

Another beat of silence.

“I guess it must be a lot less stressful, now that you don’t have to worry about it.”

Nines nodded, LED blinking a soft blue. “It is, it really is. I wouldn’t go back for anything, honest-“ he paused suddenly, leaning forward. A shadowy figure, walking out of the side door of one of the adjacent buildings and into the darkened alley. “That’s them.”

Gavin looked over, his eyes widening a little. “Shit, finally... let’s get going, then.” He said.

Nines nodded, gathering his things and going to leave before casting one more glance at Gavin, who wasn’t moving. “Is everything ok?”

He blinked, snapping out of the strange sort of trance he was in. “Yeah, yeah. Let’s just go.”

Nines paused a moment, then nodded. 

They opened their doors, stepping out into the cold of the alley.


	17. Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 2 of 2!

One by one, like sand through an hourglass, the precinct had slowly emptied of people. One after the other they left, in groups or alone.

All except for the two of them.

Gavin sat back in his chair, a stack of paperwork in one hand and a pencil in the other. “It’s late... you sure we can’t get out of here already?”

Nines nodded and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yes, I’m sure... we need to finish this. We’ve already taken too long on this case.”

Gavin groaned. Chewing on the back of the wooden pencil in his hand. “I’m tired, though. I know you don’t need sleep, but i do..” 

“Gavin, please.” 

The man paused, looking over at the android. It was only a few weeks post revolution. About two since the android had come back to work, newly deviated. 

Gavin still wasn’t exactly used to hearing emotion come from him, one that wasn’t faked or feigned for a confession. So things like this just now, the Android’s slight undertone of desperation in his tone, tended to catch him off guard.

He nodded and sat up, rifling through the paperwork with his thumb. “Alright, alright...” he said, setting it down on the table before turning to his computer.

Nines nodded. “Thank you.” He said, turning to his computer again and resuming his search through the database.

Gavin did the same, quiet for a moment before speaking. “Hey.. can I ask you something?”

Nines glanced over at him, tilting his head slightly before going back to his work. “Sure.”

“Is it.. my fault you deviated? Was it because I was..” he trailed off.

“An ass?” Nines finished for him, then shrugged. “Like I said before, sort of. You definitely contributed to it. In more ways than one.”

Gavin raised an eyebrow. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

The android turned his attention away from his work for a second. “I mean what I said. You did contribute to my deviation, quite heartily. But not just because of your earlier treatment of me.”

“What else was it, then?” Gavin asked, sitting back. Fully invested in what the android was about to say.

“Well...”

“You better not tell me you’re in love with me.” 

That brought a chuckle out of Nines, one of the first that Gavin had ever heard. “Don’t flatter yourself. It’s just...” he hesitated, another moment passing. “You’re a very interesting person. And as I learned more about you, the more I wanted to understand... You may not think of yourself this way, but you’re quite an emotion-driven person.” He said. “My desire to try and understand you and what you felt led me to start recognizing those feelings in myself, as faint and muted as they were. It’s sort of your fault that I even recognized what was happening, and started to seek it out. That’s what I mean.”

Gavin sat, quiet for a moment. It was strange to think that he’d contributed so much to him, to someone’s growth and understanding of who they were. But one thing in particular stood out to him. 

“Hey, I am not an emotional person!”

Nines smirked a little. “Whatever you say, Gavin.”

He rolled his eyes, mumbling something to himself as he went back to work. Pausing again when he found that he was mulling over the Android’s words far too much in his head. “Hey... I just want to say. I’m sorry.”

Nines didn’t look up from his work. “For what?”

“For how I treated you. Machine or not, you didn’t deserve that. And I don’t think I’ve ever said it before, so... I’m sorry.”

Nines nodded. “Well. Thank you-“ he paused, leaning forward. “Wait. There it is.”

Gavin blinked and leaned over the desk to look at what Nines had found. “Oh, shit... well, I guess we’ll have to speak to Mr. Callihan again in the morning, huh?”

Nines nodded. “Yep. But I guess you should get some sleep for now.”

Gavin nodded, standing up and grabbing his coat. “Well... I’ll see you bright and early tomorrow, Nines.”

“Yeah.. see you tomorrow.”


	18. Rocket

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Space AU. Nines is an android made to take care of the ship of Gavin Reed, a bounty hunter.

“Don’t you have work to be doing?” The man’s gruff voice carried throughout the halls, reaching Nines’ audio receptors without much effort. The android let out a soft sigh, closing the windows he had open on the tablet and turning to face the man who had spoken to him.

“I was working. You’d know that if you bothered to make it all the way down the hallway before deciding to yell at me.” He huffed. 

He was state-of-the-art. He didn’t deserve to be treated this way. 

Nines was the latest in a line of experiments done by an eccentric man named Elijah Kamski. An android copilot, designed to do most of the captain’s grunt work such as route planning, maintenance, and other chores that came with running a starship like this one. This ship was an older model, Nines certainly had his hands full with the maintenance part. It didn’t help that the ship’s captian, one Gavin Reed, saw him more as a maid than anything else.

“No, no.. the other work.” The human said, finally making his way into the cockpit where Nines sat.

Nines’ brow quirked at this. “Charting course?”

“No. Other work.”

“Fixing the engine?”

“No! Jesus. For something so new you really are stupid.”

Nines paused a moment, then glanced over his shoulder at him. “Are you referring to the gentleman who spent the night yesterday?”

Gavin snapped his fingers. “That’s the one.”

The android heaved a sigh, standing up and facing him. “He left, after making a complete mess of the bathroom. Don’t worry, I left it for you to clean.” He flashed him an obviously sarcastic smile. “Might I suggest putting a little more thought into who you decide to screw? The one before this is the reason we’re still in this system instead of a galaxy over where you should have been yesterday.”

The aforementioned hookup had decided to gut one of their engines, leaving the two grounded until Nines managed to fix it. Which he would have been able to do, if Gavin hadn’t delayed so much on ordering spares.

Gavin sighed, scratching the back of his neck. “You’re not still mad about that, are you?” He looked at Nines, who shot him a frosty glare. “Actually, don’t answer that. Look, the parts are almost here. Then you can fix it, and we’ll be on our way.. happy?”

Nines shrugged. “I don’t care. It’s your own money you’re losing by letting this job get away for the sake of cheap sex.”

“What, you got a better alternative? I have needs, sweetheart. If you’re so upset about me bringing guys over, you could always-“

A gloved hand covered his mouth before he could finish his sentence, gripping much harder than what was necessary to silence him. “Oh, captain...” Nines smiled at him, though it seemed to drip the same acid that his tone did. “I would rather be waterboarded.”

Gavin rolled his eyes, moving his hand away. “It was just a suggestion.”

Nines nodded, stepping away and going back to the screen he’d been working on before. “Good. Don’t ever suggest it again.”

“Yes, sir...” he gave a sarcastic salute, going to leave. He had better things to do then put up with the bitter android. He had almost made it out, when-

“Bathroom. Clean it.”

He paused, cursing under his breath. “On it.”


	19. Storm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter is rough, when you’re practically cold-blooded.

“Is it still snowing?”

The world-weary voice came from somewhere beneath the mountain of blankets, duvets, and pillows that seemed to have appeared on the living room couch over the last little while. 

“Yes, and I don’t think it’s going to let up anytime soon... maybe you should come out for now.” Nines suggested, taking a seat in the armchair across from the mound. 

Gavin, in an act of what could only be described as nearly world-altering stubbornness, had confined himself to his blanket mountain due to the recent snowstorm. It had been almost three days since it had started, and conditions were so bad that they’d been advised to stay home from work and not leave the house.

As another disgruntled groan of disapproval left the blanket pile, Nines wondered if this had been done just to spite him.

“Gavin.... come on. Do you really need to stay under there?” He asked, getting up from his seat and moving to the couch. Sitting down on the arm of it. 

“Yes. I told you I’m not coming out until it’s stopped snowing.” He huffed softly.

Nines rolled his eyes. “But you have come out. You came out a little while ago to get some food.”

Gavin moved the blankets near his eyes so he could look out at Nines. “Temporarily.”

“Well.” He hummed softly, sitting closer to him and leaning back against the couch. “If you manage to make it not temporary. I’ll make you the brownies you like.”

“You can’t tempt me, bot. I made a commitment and I’m sticking to it.”

Nines rolled his eyes and sighed, standing up. “Fine.”

~

The smell of baking chocolate filled the house, managing to permeate through even the thick layers of Gavin’s blanket pile. He poked his head out, craning his neck to look over in the direction of the kitchen. “Nines?”

Nines poked his head out and saw him. “Yes, love?”

“I thought you weren’t going to make the brownies unless I came out.”

“Oh, I decided I wanted some for myself. Don’t worry, I won’t share..” he hummed and disappeared back into the kitchen. 

“But you can’t even eat those!”

Gavin’s words were met with simply silence. He tried to stay strong, he’d made a commitment after all, but the smell only got more intense as they came out of the oven. Eventually, it became too much.

Nines’ attention was drawn to a soft shuffling sound, coming from just outside the kitchen. “Oh? Have you finally decided to emerge? But I thought you’d made a commitment.”

Gavin was quiet as he walked in, a blanket still draped over his shoulders as he took a chunk of brownie off the plate Nines had piled high with them. “Commitments can change...”

Nines nodded, going over to him and kissing his cheek gently. “I suppose they can.”


	20. Trap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> //TW: IMPLIED TORTURE//

Silence enveloped the room, matching the chill. A seemingly constant cold draft teased his skin, salt in the many wounds he’d acquired.

He knew it had been stupid of him to go off on his own, yes. But he’d never expected it would turn out this way, to be such a perfect trap. Blindfolded, bound, beaten, and bruised, he felt every bit as pathetic as he probably looked. 

And yet, whenever he heard that singsong voice, all he could feel was rage.

“Oh, you’ve woken up again. Have you decided to cooperate with us?” She said, her tone much cheerier than he could handle right now. 

Gavin rolled his eyes, realizing halfway through the action that she couldn’t see it under the blindfold. Somehow, that just made him more annoyed. “If you think I would ever work with you, you’re as dumb as you sound.” He intended for the words to be harsh, but the pain left them sounding weaker than he would have liked.

The mystery woman, who he’d decided was most likely an android, let out a soft sigh. “Well. It’s a good thing I didn’t think you would... yet, that is. A few more minutes with the boys and I think you’d change your mind, though...”

Gavin stiffened at that. The wounds on his body hadn’t come from nowhere, each one put there deliberately. And the thought of that happening again was.. terrifying.

Come on, he urged in his mind. Come save me.

He knew they knew he was missing, and most likely they knew where he was. It was just a matter of time until they came, he thought to himself, he just needed to hold on until then. But with every breath that left him, he felt his resolve crumble.

The woman let out a quiet laugh, light an airy. “Ah, I see how it is.... Well. I’ll leave you to mull it over for a few more minutes, Hmm? Then we’ll see how cooperative you feel.” She said. He could hear the smirk in her tone. Then it was quiet, all aside from the sound of her shoes clicking against the stone floor.

Come on, come on, come on.

He knew he wouldn’t give in. It wasn’t worth it, by any means, and he knew he wouldn’t forgive himself for doing it. But the thought of more pain was urging him to just let it happen.

Come on, come on, come on.

The time was ticking away, and he knew it. It had to have been one, maybe two minutes since the woman left? His time was running out, and he needed them now.

Come on, come on, come on.

The woman’s perky voice met his ears, growing louder as she got closer to him. “Time’s up, Reed. Now have you-“

Bang.

Gunfire. His ears recognized it immediately, muted but not far off. All he could hope for was that they’d come for him.

The woman cursed, turning to Gavin. “This isn’t over, you little rat. You’re not-“

“DPD! GET ON THE GROUND!”

The room was swept up in noise, his ears unable to pick out the separate sounds. He squeezed his eyes shut, hoping for it to let up, when he heard a familiar voice.

“Gavin?”

He let out a laugh of relief, but it quickly devolved into coughs. Shit, his ribs hurt. “Hey, tincan. Took you long enough...” he said, feeling the ropes on his arms and legs loosen and fall as they came untied.

And then the blindfold was off, the light making him flinch. As his eyes adjusted he saw Nines, looking down at him with concern painted over every feature on his face. The android stood still for a moment, seeming to be teetering on the precipice of... something. He wasn’t sure why he cared so much. They’d grown closer over the past months since the revolution, enough to call themselves close friends, but seeing him like this...

“Hey, Nines. I’m ok..”

The android blinked, seeming to catch himself. He sucked in a breath that he didn’t need, letting the concern melt from his face. “You’re hurt.”

Gavin shook his head, standing up. “I’ll be ok. You can patch me up when we get to the-“ he winced, feeling pain shoot up his leg when he put weight on his right ankle. “When we get back to the precinct.”

The android noticed his limp, reaching out and draping one of Gavin’s arms over his shoulder. His own going around the man’s waist to help support him. “I think you should go to the hospital. I’ll drive.” As much as he tried to hide it, the undertone of worry in Nines’ tone was impossible to miss. Somehow, it was comforting.

Gavin gave a soft sigh, leaning into him. “Alright, tincan. Let’s go.”


	21. Dizzy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This takes place before Nines deviates!
> 
> Blood loss isn’t great, even for a machine.

The punch came fast, and when it did, it hit hard. 

Normally Nines wouldn’t be phased by something like a punch, but the man’s ring was sharp. It tore through where it collided with his synthetic skin, putting a decent sized cut on his arm which quickly began leaking thirium.

Well, no matter. He could still fight like this, despite his other bleeding wounds.

After a missed swing and a strong hit, the man was down. Nines let out a soft breath, in time with the man’s body thud against the floor. 

Gavin walked in, seeing the man pinned under the Android’s weight and bending over to handcuff him. “Hmm. Good job, tincan.” He said, straightening up as the android got off. 

Nines simply nodded, brushing the dirt from his hands as he stood up. “Mhm. Now shall we...” he paused for a moment, seeming to trail off.

Gavin heard, glancing at the android and raising an eyebrow. “Hello, earth to nines? Are you ok?”

He stood up just in time to catch the android sway dangerously to one side. “Hey! The hell’s going on with you?” Gavin asked, grabbing Nines’ arms to steady him. 

It was wet... wet?

Gavin pulled his hand away, seeing the blue liquid staining his hand. “Fuck, Nines...”

The android blinked, his led spinning a dim yellow. “What? My apologies, I didn’t.. couldn’t hear you.”

Gavin looked up at him, tense. “Hey, hey... keep your eyes open, ok? I don’t know.. what’s gonna happen if you shut down... so just stay awake, ok?”

Nines stared, swaying again before nodding slowly. “I feel... dizzy...” 

Gavin nodded, reaching out and carefully draping Nines’ arm over his shoulders to keep him steady. “Hey, hey, take a breath. Lean on me if you can’t walk...”

Nines shifted, letting his weight settle over the human’s shoulders. A plethora of error messages scrolling across his vision. 

Gavin gave a soft grunt as he felt his weight. Jesus, this thing was heavy. But again, he wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting.

“Alright.. let’s get you out of here, tincan.”


	22. Coral

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mermaid AU because I’m a simp for that kind of thing

The cold was intense, shocking. It knocked the breath from his lungs, leaving his speechless... but he knew the sea.

Gavin inhaled deeply when he broke the surface, shaking the water from his hair as he grabbed the edge of his boat for stability. That was a big wave, and he hadn’t seen it coming at all.. strange. The sea seemed completely calm-

As he was inspecting the glassy ocean surface, something caught his eye.

A merman, staring right back at him.

The shock was nearly enough to send him under the water again. His knuckles had gone white from gripping onto the boat.

He had to say something... what?

“I-Uh.. hello.”

Fuck.

The merman tilted his head, arching an eyebrow. “What are you doing here?”

Gavin cleared his throat. That was something he could answer. “Oh, fishing. You know... fish...” he let out a nervous chuckle, cursing himself out in his head.

The merman narrowed his eyes slightly. “...Right.” He said, swimming a little closer to him. “No one ever comes to this coral reef... pretty far out, aren’t you?”

Gavin backed up, feeling his head bump against the hull of the boat. “Uh, yeah.. I guess so. It’s quiet out here, which is why I came.. but.. I think I’m just gonna go....” he said, starting to climb back into his boat. “Yeah, I’m just gonna go-“

He paused, feeling a cold hand on the back of his neck. “Wait.” 

The creature’s voice was intoxicating, causing him to freeze right in his somewhat awkward position of being half-in, half-out of the water. He let out a shaky breath, glancing over his shoulder and finally getting a good look at it.

With dark hair, blue eyes, and fair but freckled skin, he looked like something out of a storybook. He couldn’t see the creature’s tail very well, but occasionally the light bounced off of it and sparkled below the surface. He didn’t realize he’d been staring at the merman’s bare chest until it was too late, an embarrassed flush covering his cheeks as his gaze snapped up to it’s face again.

It seemed to be surveying him, looking him up and down. “I’ve never seen one of you up close before... would you say you’re a typical example of your sex?” It’s hands had begun to wander, travelling with his eyes.

Gavin tensed up, his breathing catching on something in his throat. “I- I guess so, yeah.. look, do you want something?” He asked.

Nines looked at his face, tilting his head. “Hmm? No, nothing... say, will you be coming back here? For more fishing?”

Gavin stared, silent with his shock for a moment. Who... what was this thing? What did it want with him? And yet, he couldn’t deny he was intrigued. He wanted to come back. “Yeah, I’ll be back... tomorrow? Will you... will you be here?”

It nodded. “Yes, I’ll be here...” it let go, backing up. Finally letting Gavin get back into his boat.

Gavin clumsily made his way back into his boat, sitting on the edge and shaking water from his hair. “So... I’m gonna go then.”

He nodded. “Alright. Goodbye, human.” He said, turning to leave.

“Wait!” Gavin called, causing the creature to pause and turn to him. “What... what’s your name? If you have one.”

It raised an eyebrow. “Of course I have a name. It’s Nines. Nines Stern.” He said simply before turning and diving under the water.

“Oh! Uh, I’m-“ he paused, seeing the splash of water and the faintest glimpse of the creature’s tail as it dove away. “Gavin...” he let out a soft sigh, scratching the back of his neck. 

What had he gotten himself into?


	23. Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What if androids, in place of dreams, were shown old memories?

It hadn’t always been this bad.

Laying awake at two in the morning, watching the fan spin slowly above him, Nines heaved an artificial sigh. He didn’t strictly /need/ sleep, or ‘stasis’ as it was officially called, but he functioned better when he got it. But that also meant facing the past.

He wasn’t sure why Cyberlife had added the function. Perhaps it was to keep them humble. Perhaps it was to remind them of their failures so they could learn from them. In his mind, it was purely to torture him.

Gavin, who lay dozing at his side, shifted and rolled over. He knew the human struggled with nightmares on occasion, but it had certainly gotten better lately. Nines didn’t want to bother him and trigger another bad spell by asking how he dealt with it, so he didn’t. He just.. dealt with it.

Instead of dreaming, Androids only had two options when in stasis. If it was short, it would be allowed to be spent in the zen garden. But if it was long, longer than ten minutes, they would be shown past memories. Replayed, as if they were living through them again, just without control. They couldn’t change the outcome, it would play out exactly as it had happened in real time.

A special brand of torture, especially if it chose a bad one.

Sometimes it was pleasant enough, or at the very least simply boring. A standard day at work, an evening spent together. These were the good ones.

But for some reason, his mind seemed to single out the intense ones. The ones that had garnered a strong emotional reaction from him, even in his non-deviated state. Not all were bad, but the vast majority brought up past traumatic experiences.

His multiple ‘deaths’, arguments, and fights. The abuse he’d received from coworkers before the revolution. Visits from Amanda, on occasion. 

But the worst one was when Gavin had been shot.

It had been a standard enough day at the precinct, the two of them stuck with desk work. Gavin had gotten up to get a coffee, as a suspect was being transferred to a holding cell. The suspect had broken away from the officer’s hold, grabbed the gun off of his hip, and-

He still remembered the look on Gavin’s face. He would for the rest of his life. Pure shock and horror, twisted into an ugly shape by the pain. And blood... so much blood.

Nines shook his head and blinked, looking up to the fan again. Gavin still had the scar, a bullet mark in his side. Even in the dark the android’s fingertips found it easily, prompting a dead-to-the-world Gavin to roll over and rest his head on the Android’s chest.

Nightmares would be better, he thought. Terrifying and twisted in the moment, yes, but when you wake up you can tell yourself that it’s not real and believe it. But with memories you had to live that pain all over again, knowing that it was all reality. It was real, and you could have stopped it.

What if he’d offered to get his coffee that day? He could have done it. A bullet hole would be annoying, yes, but it would have very little lasting effects. He was replaceable. Gavin was not. And he had lived every day since that incident with that truth in his mind.

The fan had shut off, it’s blades slowing and slowing until they eventually went still. The room now blanketed by a heavy silence, punctuated only by Gavin’s breaths.

He wasn’t willing to roll the dice tonight, to gamble with his peace of mind. And coming in and out of short bouts of stasis was almost more tiring than being awake. 

Sitting back, he gently laced his fingers with Gavin’s as he watched the clock in the corner of his vision count off the seconds.

It was going to be a long night.


	24. Chef

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s been a long time since Gavin’s cooked for himself.
> 
> Not a fan of this one, honestly. But it is what it is

“Ok, rule number one. Always add more spices then they say that you should.”

Gavin nodded slowly, repeating what he said to himself. Nines would be leaving for a Jericho conference for the next week or so, and it seemed he didn’t want to risk Gavin starving to death while he was gone. He knew how to cook basics, but it had been a long while since he’d had to actually do it. And it seemed Nines didn’t want him eating junk the whole time he was gone.

Nines glanced over. “So I’m gonna show you how to make stuffed peppers, ok?”

Gavin crinkled his nose. “Aw, really? I don’t like stuffed peppers....”

“Last time I made them you said they were the best thing you had ever eaten.”

“Oh. I guess I like them then.”

Nines rolled his eyes, starting to show him the steps. Gavin tried his best to follow along, listening intently to the android as he spoke and taught.

In truth, it had been a while since he’d really cooked for himself. Before Nines had begun nagging him about his unhealthy lifestyle, he had eaten out every night or simply not eaten at all. It had been like that for much longer than he’d like to admit. It had been hard to find the motivation to get up, buy groceries, and cook them, when he could have something delivered. And besides, he just didn’t really care.

Since he and Nines had gotten together, the android had taken over all of the cooking. Gavin hadn’t eaten regular home-cooked meals in a long while, and it had taken some getting used to. But Nines’ food was good, so he never bothered to try cooking for himself. 

Of course, they’d spent time apart before. But Nines would usually cook in advance for him, leaving it for him to have while he was gone. It seemed he didn’t want him slipping back into unhealthy habits. But it seemed the android had decided to trust him enough not to fall back into his old patterns, that it would be more worthwhile just to teach him some simple recipes.

About an hour after they’d begun, Nines took them out of the oven. “There... see? Smells good.”

Gavin nodded, smiling lightly. “Yeah, it does...”

“I’ve left you some simple recipes for you to try while I’m gone. It’s all stuff you like.. but if you want to eat out once or twice, go ahead.” He said, looking over at him and kissing his cheek gently.

Gavin chuckled. “Hey, I’ll be ok... thank you. Really.” He said, gently cupping the Android’s cheeks.

Nines looked down at him, nodding softly. “Of course, love.” He said, bringing him into a gentle kiss.

“I’m gonna miss you....”

“I will too.. but I won’t be too long.”

Gavin nodded, pulling away to look him in the eye. Quiet for a moment, just studying his features. 

Nines tilted his head. “Is everything alright?”

Gavin leaned in, hugging him gently and closing his eyes.

“Yeah. Yeah, it is.”


	25. Rip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> {This takes place before Nines deviates}

It wasn’t exactly pain, he couldn’t feel physical pain after all. But the sensation was awful enough to make his skin crawl. He could feel every fibre tear, every wire rip. It left him, for lack of another word, breathless.

“NINES!”

Nines turned his head, looking over at Gavin. His led shifting yellow for just a moment before turning a deep red. “Gavin?”

The human stared, fully paralyzed by shock. The android that had ripped away the limb tossed it off to the side, the arm’s synthetic skin vanishing to reveal the white shell and severed wires.

A moment passed. Or maybe it was a minute. Nines couldn’t really tell anymore. A shot rang in his ears, then a second. He didn’t feel the gun in his hand kick back as he fired, but he heard the android who had taken his arm drop.

Gavin was still. Paralyzed. He’d never witnessed anything like it before, honestly. His gaze kept darting between the dead android, the torn away limb, and the android who stood just inches from him, far too calm for something that just got it’s arm torn clean away from it’s body.

Nines met his gaze the next time it landed on him, his led still circling a bright scarlet. “Detective?”

He blinked, keeping his eyes on Nines instead of repeating the cycle of attention yet again. “U-uh, yeah?”

“Call Cyberlife.”

~ 

The next time Nines opened his eyes he lay on a table, staring up at a white ceiling illuminated with harsh lighting.

He sat up.

His memory after he’d asked Gavin to call Cyberlife was hazy. He remembered a car, and a lot of yelling. But it all seemed to spin together in his pain-addled mind.

Looking down to where his arm had been, he saw an exact replica in it’s place. Flexing his fingers and closing his hand into a fist, it obeyed him. If he could feel he might find it unsettling. If he could feel, that is.

An objective blinked in the corner of his vision. 

Return to the precinct.

He got up from the table, pulling on his black shirt and jacket overtop of it before leaving the room. Walking through the halls before arriving at the entrance, the waiting room. Empty, aside from a figure hunched over in the corner. 

He went to walk out, passing the human as he did so. Though, when he got a closer look...

“Detective Reed?”

Gavin started and opened his eyes, looking up at Nines. Rubbing them before looking again.

“Your arm.”

Nines glanced down at it, moving it before looking back to him. “Fully functional. What are you doing here? I’m sure you’re needed at the precinct.”

A look passed over his face that Nines didn’t understand, one he’d never seen on the Detective before. It looked like... relief. But it was gone as quickly as it came, replaced by standoffish. “Fowler wanted me to stay. Make sure you weren’t gonna be too wrecked when you came back.” He shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Nines stared for a moment, his led cycling yellow. Then, seeming to come out of it, he nodded curtly. “Of course. Well, I’m fully functional.”

“Good... let’s get going then.” The human said before turning on his heel, walking out.

Nines followed, staying quiet. Though, his mind wandered. Gavin’s actions had taken him off guard, confused him. They didn’t match up with what he knew of him. Maybe he-

“Hey, tincan, are you ok?”

He turned to see Gavin, fixing him with a strange look. One eyebrow raised, questioning.

Well. The analysis would have to wait.

“Yes, I’m fine. Let’s go.”

Gavin gave a small nod and started the car. Pulling out of the parking lot and driving off.


	26. Buddy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First days can be rough.
> 
> Not a fan of this one, but I was really struggling with the prompt and this is all I could think of

{this takes place before Nines deviates}

“Look, Fowler, I don’t need a plastic buddy following me around all day. I’m competent and you know that.”

“Reed, this isn’t a personal attack. It’s policy now to have at least two androids in a precinct’s service. You just happened to get one of them. Now suck it up, it’s going to be here soon.”

Gavin rolled his eyes, muttering inaudibly to himself as he left the office and headed back to his desk. 

He, of all people, didn’t need an android to babysit. He didn’t deserve to have to put up with one of those.. things following him around like a sick puppy. 

He was still stewing angrily in the injustice of it all when, about half an hour later, a cool voice prompted him to lift his head off the desk. 

“Excuse me. Detective Reed?”

He looked up, greeted by a.. beast of an android standing next to his desk. It looked similar to the other android at the precinct, same hair, face shape.. but that was about where it ended. Besides the obvious difference in eye colour and size, it seemed to carry itself differently. Gavin couldn’t really explain it, but it seemed almost more... sure of itself. Less of a pushover. 

He realized he’d been staring, inspecting the thing. Clearing his throat, he sat back. “That’s me. You must be the plastic prick that got assigned to me... RK900?”

It seemed annoyingly unbothered by his taunts, simply giving him a curt nod. “Indeed. Good to meet you. Is there a desk near yours that I could use?”

The detective wrinkled his nose. “Do you have to be near me?”

The android blinked. “Well, since we’re partners-“

“No, no. Don’t pretend that’s what this is.” he rolled his eyes. “Use this one. No one’s sitting here.” He said and pointed to the one directly across from him.

The RK900 simply nodded. Taking the seat across from him.

Stupid droid.

Gavin tried to focus on his work again, but for some reason his brain wouldn’t let him. It was impossibly harder to focus with the unsettling presence of the android sitting across from him. 

The day seemed to slow to a crawl, barely two sentences shared between the two of them. Both coming from the android, asking questions that the detective chose to ignore. He found himself disappearing to the break room more and more often, just trying to get away. It was on his sixth visit in the last hour that the android approached him.

“Excuse me, detective.”

Gavin went with the previous tactic of ignoring the bot, pretending to be engrossed in the social media feed that hadn’t changed over the last hour.

“Detective.” Was it just him, or did the thing sound frustrated? Nah, that was impossible. Any sort of emotion was foreign to this machine. 

It was on his third refresh of the page that the hand rested on his wrist. “Detective, you’ve got-“

“Don’t touch me, plastic fuck!” He snapped, yanking his hand away and glaring up at the android. What did this thing think it was? It seemed that with every second that went by, it’s face grew more and more punchable.

RK simply looked at him. “You’ve spent approximately 20 minutes working in the past hour. You have paperwork.”

Gavin rolled his eyes, flipping it off. “You can’t tell humans what to do, tincan. You’re /beneath/ me.” He sneered, going to look back to his phone. 

A hand, on the table. Reaching for his phone. The Android’s cool voice was like sandpaper on his brain. “I’m afraid I must insist.”

That was it. 

He turned to the thing, looking down at him. “I said. Don’t. Touch me!” He shouted. Drawing his hand back and swinging a punch at the Android’s altogether too perfect jawline. 

But the hit never came.

The Android’s hand had closed around his fist, squeezing far harder than was necessary to stop him. In an instant he felt his back hit the wall, his arm pinned against it at a painful angle. He winced, glaring at the droid. “What the fuck are you-“

“I wouldn’t try that again, if I were you.”

It’s voice had changed. The added iciness was subtle, but enough to send a chill down his spine. Towering over him with a not-so-blank anymore expression, the thing was an intimidating sight. He shut up, just staring.

Why was he so intimidated?

The android seemed to notice it, letting go of him and stepping away. “I’m going to go speak with the captain. I suggest you get a start on your paperwork.”

And in a moment it was gone, leaving a slightly shell-shocked Gavin in it’s wake.

After taking a moment to process what the hell had just happened, he silently made his way back to his desk. Sitting down and starting on the stack of paperwork he’d been neglecting. 

Fucking android.


	27. Hide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This prompt is based on the book Red White and Royal Blue! I highly recommend it if you haven’t read it already!

“Move your elbow.”

“I’d love to, sweetheart, but unfortunately I’m just as cramped in here as you are.”

Nines let out an annoyed huff but gave up on protesting, settling into his spot on the floor of the broom closet. The space was only really big enough for one, but in a situation like this, it would have to do.

Prince Nines Stern. Younger son of the Queen, Amanda Stern. Not an heir, but still very much in the public eye. And because of that, he was stuck here with-

“Hey, princess. Move over.”

He grimaced as he felt Gavin’s body slot against his. “Can’t you give me a little bit of personal space?”

Gavin Reed was every bit an asshole as he was good looking. The two had nothing in common, besides both being sons of world leaders.

The two had never gotten along, not since they’d first met years ago. As the first son of the POTUS, they’d always had the other’s shadow in the corner of their vision. They kept their distance, until an unfortunate.. incident (wholly caused by Gavin, in Nines’ opinion) had sent them into a pr spiral.

“Hey, I’m just as happy about this as you are.” The man grimaced, leaning his back against the wall. “It’s your fault we’re here anyways.”

Nines looked over, shooting a frosty glare. “I wasn’t the one who got drunk at my sister’s wedding and tried to beat you up.”

Gavin grimaced. “Well when I go out in public, I don’t get fucking shot at.”

“Neither do I! Not usually, at least.” He huffed softly. They’d been visiting a hospital, as part of this act to pretend that what had happened at the wedding was some sort of frat bro scuffle. That the two were actually close, best friends in fact.

The shots had caught them all off guard, which was why they had found themselves shoved into a broom closet that was barely big enough for one.

Gavin let out a soft sigh of annoyance, breath uncomfortably hot against the back of Nines’ neck. “Do you even know why I hate you so much?”

Nines scoffed, rolling his eyes. “No, I don’t. Please, enlighten me on why you despise me and have decided to make my life around you a living hell.”

Gavin opened his mouth to speak at the same time the door opened, the both of them blinking at the harsh light.

“You’re safe. Some kid decided to bring fireworks.”

Nines nodded and stood, brushing himself off and stepping out. “Thank you. Now let’s get out of here.”

He didn’t spare another glance in Gavin’s direction, walking briskly down the hall. 

Gavin watched him, rolling his eyes before speeding up to try and catch up with him. The truth was, the reasoning behind his dislike for the prince was... complicated. He’d been sort of saved by the bell in there, but he knew it was likely Nines would ask again. And soon.

God, what had he gotten himself into?


	28. Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Imposter syndrome is a bitch.

The notes practically floated on the air, drifting down the hallway of Elijah’s lake house. The pair were staying there with the man’s permission, needing to get away after a particularly rough case.

Nines had never tried an instrument before. He knew he could play just about anything if he wanted to, but had never come across something that piqued his interest enough to try. 

But the piano was already there, so why not?

It was quite simple, once he started. A program, once downloaded and run, ensured he played without a mistake. The music was nice, but something about it felt... off. It had a mechanical feel to it, as ironic as that was.

It was too easy.

Sometimes, he wished for a challenge. To learn something the hard way, to try, to fail, to try again. He wanted to play piano after learning, practicing.. to have it sound perfect and know that that was because of how hard he’d worked. Because of how much effort he’d put in, not because his body refused to let him mess up.

It was a lackluster activity. But at least the music was nice.

He stopped, letting his hands rest on his lap again as he let out a soft breath. Oh well. He might as well go find-

“That was nice.”

Gavin stood in the doorway, having sort of snuck up on nines under the cover of the music. “I didn’t know you could play...”

Nines smiled lightly at him. “Thank you. And yeah.. I just learned. Well, not really.” He said, letting out a quiet breath. 

Gavin walked over and sat next to him on the piano bench. He recognized the look on his husband’s face, no matter how subtle it would be to someone who didn’t know him like Gavin did. It was a face he hated seeing, the same one he’d wear often after hearing about an anti-android protest on the news or after a visit from Amanda.

But because he knew it well, he knew how he could help.

He placed his hands on the keys, forcing his mind to recall the names of each. “Teach me.”

Nines looked over, pausing for just a moment before giving a small nod. 

“Of course.”


	29. Shoes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Incredibly self-indulgent on my part but it is what it is. Nines in heels.

It had started off innocently enough.

He’d just been doing the laundry, putting clothes away. Gavin was washing the dishes and he was folding clothes, as they usually did. He was hanging up one of Gavin’s many hoodies when he paused, spotting something shiny in the very back of the closet.

He wasn’t sure what he’d expected to find when he’d reached in and grabbed it, but it sure as hell wasn’t a pair of black high heeled boots.

Huh.

Thoroughly distracted, he put away the last of the clothes before sitting down on the bed, looking at them. They were easily six inches tall, black and shiny. It didn’t look like something Gavin would buy for himself.. but then again, maybe he would. He wasn’t really sure.

Maybe they’d fit him.

Without really thinking about it he tried them on, zipping them up in the back before standing up. The extra height it gave him was.. a little off putting, but he didn’t hate it. Still, being six foot six was.. interesting.

“Hey nines, are you-“

Nines glanced over, spotting Gavin standing in the doorway. “Ah. Um, I’m finished...”

Gavin stared for a moment, looking down at the shoes before looking back up at him. “Holy shit, you’re tall in those... where did you find them?” 

Nines shrugged, looking back at his reflection in the mirror. “They were in the back of the closet.. when did you get these?”

“They were from Tina, a few years back. For my birthday. She was making fun of me for being short..” Gavin shrugged, a faint embarrassed blush on his cheeks. “She knew I’d never wear them.”

The android chuckled softly, going over to him. “That makes sense. Seems like something she’d do...” he leaned down, resting his elbows on Gavin’s shoulders. “I mean from up here, you are pretty short.”

Gavin snorted, rolling his eyes. “Shut up, you ass...” he grumbled, pushing him back and sending Nines stumbling onto the bed. “You’re such a prick.”

“You love me.” Nines chuckled, smirking at him from where he sat. 

“Yeah, yeah. You’re lucky do, you... giraffe.” 

Rolling his eyes, Nines leaned over and unzipped the shoes to take them off. “Whatever you say..” he said, slipping off the boots before standing up again. “Better?”

Gavin nodded, taking them from him. “Much better. It’s good to see you knocked down a few inches.” He huffed, reaching up to put them on the top shelf again. 

“Need some help with that?”

“Fuck off.”


	30. Ominous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ghost AU. Some cases are best left unsolved.

“I’m home.” 

His words echoed around the seemingly empty house as he hung up his coat, taking his shoes off at the door. Anyone else wouldn’t have expected a reply, despite the ominous chill that seemed to resonate within the place.

And yet, a response came in the form of a young man’s voice.

“You’re late...”

“Sorry. Got held up after work.” Gavin hummed softly to himself, walking through the halls to the kitchen. Surprised to find a cooked meal waiting for him, not surpised to see the rippling ghost of the young man sitting there.

Nines had been waiting for about an hour already, the food having gone cold. “You should be. I went to the trouble of cooking for you and everything.”

A soft breath left Gavin’s lips as he picked up the plate, opening the microwave and putting it in. “You really don’t have to do that.. but thank you.” The human said, starting the timer on it before turning his attention back to the ghost.

Nines Stern, his name was. The house was his, or at the very least, had been his. He’d lived here and died here, and hadn’t been very happy when Gavin had first moved in.

The ghost shrugged. “It’s nothing. Not like I have much else to do here anyways.” He said, a soft puff of cold breath leaving him. “Any interesting cases today?”

Gavin sighed. “Nothing you haven’t heard about already.” He said, taking the plate from the microwave as it beeped impatiently at him. “But I could take a look at yours, if you-“

“No. Like I said, there’s simply no point.”

Rolling his eyes, he sat down. “It was just a suggestion.”

His own death was a topic Nines seemed to avoid discussing as much as he could. Gavin couldn’t find it in himself to press him for information, though his curiosity had certainly been piqued.

He’d managed to pry a few details out of the ghost, despite how hard Nines tried to avoid the subject. One such discovery was the fact that he’d been murdered. In the upstairs bedroom, to be exact. It was the one room he’d forbidden Gavin from entering, which was fine with him. He’d stick to the guest room.

The nature of his death explained a few things, such as why he was still around. Unfinished business in the form of a cold case surrounding his death kept him here, trapped on earth until it was resolved. But despite how much he seemed to dislike it here, he still refused to divulge the truth of what had happened. 

Nines let out a quiet sigh. “A stupid suggestion. You already know you aren’t supposed to look into that.”

Gavin frowned, sitting down to eat. “But it could help you. You don’t have to stay trapped here.. just tell me what happened. I’ll find some evidence, put the killer away, and then you can go.”

“Gavin. No. It won’t help, trust me. I’m a skeleton in someone’s closet, and maybe it’s better that way... how can I even I know if there’s anything after this? Then you’ve dug up my past for what? Nothing. It’s not happening.”

He rolled his eyes. “But you’re not even going to try? So what, there’s nothing else. At least whoever it was got what they deserved. At least a kil-“

“Stop it, alright? Just stop!” He yelled. The house shuddered where it stood, sending dust drifting down from the ceiling.

Gavin froze. A chill shooting down his spine.

Nines stood, pushing the chair he’d been sitting on backwards. “Look, if you’re so intent on finding the truth, go ahead. Look at the case. It’s not going to help either of us, in the end.” He said, his tone sharp and his glare sharper. With that he turned and left, leaving a slightly shell-shocked Gavin in his wake.

As much as he hated it, a morbid curiosity took hold in his mind. What could have happened that was so bad, so horribly tragic, that he’d rather be sentenced to eternity wandering the earth than to have it unearthed? 

He’d mend bridges with the spirit later. Right now, his mission was to find that truth. He took a bite of the food, expecting it to be warm from the microwave.

And while it should have still been warm, somehow it had gone ice cold.


	31. Crawl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last one! If I end up doing this challenge again, I’ll definitely post them here. But in the meantime I’ll probably have some different content up!

“Is that a kid?”

The question made Nines lift his head from his work, looking around to try and spot the thing that had made Gavin speak up.

And sure enough, it was. 

Holding onto a very tired-looking Connor’s hand, a little girl was looking excitedly around the inside of the bullpen. She had to be around five, eyes wide and mouth talking a mile a minute. 

Nines tilted his head, then stood. “I’ll be back in a second...” he said, going over to Connor.

“Hey, everything ok over here?” He asked, walking over to the pair. The little girl looked up at him, gasping and grabbing on to the bottom of his jacket. 

“You look jus’ like him!” She exclaimed, glancing between Connor and Nines’ quickly. “Are you his brother? Because he was talkin’ about a brother. I don’t have one, but I think it would be fun. Is it fun?”

Connor looked over at Nines, who seemed a little shell shocked by the sheer speed at which the girl spoke. “Yes, he is my brother. Do you want to go with him for a little bit while we wait for your dad?” Connor asked. Adding a silent please on the end, one only Nines could hear.

And that was how, for the day, Nines had ended up on babysitting duty.

It wasn’t too bad. The girl, who’s name was Elizabeth (but she had pointedly told him she only answered to Eliza) was a sweet thing once you got used to the near endless stream of words that left her lips at any given moment. She was eager to learn, listening attentively and making connections to just about anything Nines told or showed her. 

It was a few hours later when her father finally arrived to get her. After a few questions and a rather drawn out goodbye, she was gone.

And as Nines sat down to resume his work, he noticed Gavin staring with a strange look on his face.

“Gavin? Is everything ok?”

The man blinked, seeming to snap out of the trance he was in. “Hm? Yeah, I’m fine...” he smiled at him, something warm and sweet that would have been unfamiliar to anyone who didn’t know him like Nines did. “You’d be a good dad.”

The android blinked. “Hmm? I don’t know about that..” he chuckled softly, sitting back.

“Why not? You were great with her today... I think you’d be a really good dad.” Gavin shrugged, turning his attention back to the report he’d been working on. Though he’d made embarrassingly little progress over the last few hours.

Nines paused for a moment, quiet as he thought about what Gavin said. He’d never spent much time wondering about children, as having or raising one had never seemed to be an option for him. But...

“Mm.. can we go home? I’m tired.”

His husband’s voice snapped the android out of his thoughts. “Yeah, me too.” He said, standing up and getting ready to leave. “You know what?”

“What?”

“I think you’d be a great dad too.”

“Ah, shush.”


End file.
